City of Yelm, Squaxin Island Tribe to Receive Federal Funding to Reduce Traffic-Related Deaths

City of Yelm, Squaxin Island Tribe to Receive Federal Funding to Reduce Traffic-Related Deaths

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Finance Committee, announced that the City of Yelm and the Squaxin Island Tribe will each receive funding to make their roadways safer for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program. With this new round of awards, Washington state communities have received a total of $88.8 million for 78 different projects through the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program since it was established.

The grants announced today include:

The City of Yelm will receive $240,000 to conduct an SR 507 Corridor Safety Study and refine the city's safety action plan for SR 507 between 170th Street SE and 1st Street. Work includes updated crash analysis, field assessments, public engagement, conceptual designs, and a final report with prioritized projects to support future Safe Streets and Roads for All implementation.

The Squaxin Island Tribe will receive $160,000 to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan for the tribe's road network in Shelton. Tasks include traffic volume and speed studies, high-risk roadway and intersection identification, school zone and pedestrian assessments, parking and lighting reviews, public engagement, and an Action Plan that applies the Safe Systems Approach to recommend prioritized, implementation-ready countermeasures to reduce crashes and improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety.

Sen. Cantwell authored the Safe Streets and Roads For All program, steered its authorization through the Commerce Committee, and ensured that the program was among the transportation investments included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Since the law's signing in November 2021, it has funded more than 1,600 transportation projects in the state including road, bridge, and port projects.

Safe Streets and Roads for All grants help local governments carry out Vision Zero plans and other improvements to reduce crashes and fatalities, including for cyclists and pedestrians. These projects are critical to stem the rise of pedestrian fatalities in the state.

Data about Washington state traffic collisions and fatalities broken down by city and county is available HERE.

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